WmeanThe majority of websites today use SSL (Secure Socket Layers) to make their websites secure, and protect sensitive data like login credentials. But what is SSL and how does it work? The details can be quite complex, but let’s break it down to make things easier. Let’s start with an example.
Imagine you are messaging with someone and having a private conversation. It’s possible that a man in the middle can sneak into your conversation and see what you are saying. Of course, you don’t want anyone looking in on either end of the conversation. This is where the SSL comes in. Instead of sending just one message to your friend, using SSL, you send a little key with it, a public key. That key is checked by your friend, and is used to confirm who you are before you start messaging.
Websites do something similar. When you connect to a website, a public key is sent as well to confirm that this is the correct website, and everyone is who they say they are. The websites in question hold a special certificate, an SSL Certificate, which proved that they are the real website and not a fake site or a scam or anything. A good example is when you log in to a banking website. There is a lot of sensitive information on a banking website, and a valid SSL certificate proves that the website owners are who they say they are. The encryption that SSL provides also encrypts your login details and anything related to your money. If you look at a banking website (or any website in particular), you will often notice a small padlock. Clicking on that padlock allows you to see who the site belongs to and whether it’s encrypted or not.
Because the messages from you to your friend or a website are encrypted on both ends, this makes it really hard for someone to sneak in and see information they’re not supposed to. Apps like Viber or Whatsapp are also encrypted end to end. That means that no one, not even Viber or Whatsapp themselves, can see into your private conversations.
Basically, an SSL certificate proves who you are and makes sure that the connection between you and a website is secure. And all websites built by Shields include an SSL certificate already installed, to give you peace of mind.